Artemis Fowl: Book 6
by porpierita
Summary: ARTEMIS FOWL fic. After The Lost Colony. What happens? I'll tie up all the loose ends Eoin Colfer left behind, like what happened to Minerva and Holly? The twins? Arty's age? I based this fic off the information released about Book 6. PLEASE READ & REVIEW
1. Chapter 1: Discovery

**­­Artemis Fowl: Book 6**

_**By porpierita**_

**A/N: ****This fic was done for the AFC competition: to write the first chapter/part of Artemis Fowl: Book 6.**

**I must say, this fic is really long, compared to all the other fics I've written! Well, okay, compared to all the other **_**oneshots**_** I've written.**

**Also, I'm not going into deep details yet, like how Artemis might have telepathic connections with Holly because of the shared eye, or whatever. And like how Colfer said that fairies have a bit of night vision, Artemis might have some too. Let's just say that Artemis finds out about that a while later—hey, I'm not tying up ALL of Colfer's loose ends!**

**You may notice little quotes here and there stolen from the AF books. Just to make it seem more like Colfer's writing.**

**Disclaimer: Artemis Fowl and Co. don't belong to me. They are under the copyright of Eoin Colfer. Guys, if they did, Artemis and Minerva would be… (Ahem) …nevermind.**

**Chapter 1: Discovery**

**Fowl Manor, Ireland**

A Bentley crossed over the driveway of Fowl Manor. Gray gravel crunched under its tires, and the car halted to a stop outside the foyer. A driver, dressed in a Hugo Boss suit, stepped out of the front. He straightened his jacket, then crossed over to the passenger seat at the back and opened the door, bowing slightly.

A raven-haired boy of around fifteen stepped out, his pale skin even paler in the sunlight. His blue-black eye was cold and distant, his hazel one warm and kind. He exited out of the vehicle, tailored suit newly ironed, extending his hand to lead out a pretty blonde girl with corkscrew curls.

Artemis Fowl and Minerva Paradizo stepped up towards Fowl Manor, where the front door opened, and one of the many butlers escorted them inside.

"Really, Minerva, that lecture was somewhat tiring," the boy complained.

"Oh Artemis, stop moaning, it was yesterday. The only thing _you_ should be tired from is the flight, albeit the fact that the Fowl jet is one of the least turbulent of all airplanes," the girl replied serenely.

"Ah, well…" the youth's eyes searched the halls. "I wonder where Holly is? Butler was supposed to welcome her whilst we were away in France." He cocked an eyebrow—the one above the penetrating blue eye.

Minerva didn't answer. She shrugged and continued along the hallway of the huge manor, where previous generations of Fowls snickered down at her, their signature smirk shown on display. Soon, she knew, Arty would be up there too. But unlike the others—who mostly had either piercing blue eyes, or deep, mysterious ones—Artemis would have his two different gazes: warm and cold, Yin and Yang, neutralizing his two personalities. His ambitious, power hungry self, and his conscience, which, to Artemis' great displeasure, constantly reminded him of the virtuousness his Father had now embedded into his mind.

Artemis watched Minerva's curls bounce, as she seemed to glide down the hallway, head held high. There was an air of elegance around her that somewhat reminded him of his mother. She really _had_ changed, like Butler had said.

When Artemis had just returned from Hybras, and when Butler had started to make the phone calls, the prodigy, just having recovered from the surprise at the mention of his twin brothers, had told him to halt, and stop the calls: both to Minerva, and his parents. He preferred to talk to them physically, it would take away the second shock when they met him afterwards. Better to get it over with. Plus, the explanation would be easier as well.

Artemis had told Angeline and Artemis Fowl the First that after receiving a rare virus, Butler had had to send him to a cryogenics plant, where they had frozen him, until such a cure would come. This procedure had held back his growth, explaining his age. Finally, Butler had been able to find such a method (which Artemis briefly explained the use of stem cells), and number one surgeons had helped the teenage criminal mastermind return to his usual state. However, the virus had affected one of his eyes, and the colour pigments had mutated over a course of the prolonged effect. Furthermore, Artemis had also lied that Butler had been instructed to prevaricate, in fear of his parents' worries. And all the people involved, who knew of his existence, had also been forced to sign a confidentiality contract as well. His parents had been too happy of his return to be angry with him, to Artemis' eternal relief.

It was a simple fib, but Artemis already felt guilty of having to lie to Mother and Father. It was this newfound conscience in him…and when he had asked the bodyguard why he felt so wrong telling these stories, the Eurasian just grinned and replied simply, "you're not telling lies, Artemis. Your memory's just exaggerating."

It was not like Butler to make silly jokes, but this lie was also for the good of the People, and with that reason, Artemis pushed the thought to the back of his mind.

After his talk with Mother and Father, Artemis had met up with his twin brothers: Beckett and Myles. Neither had his intelligence, nor both Artemises' eyes. Instead, they had inherited their mother's teal ones…though none of her patience and poise—nor their father's previous stoic self. Instead, they were simply a pain in the behind, to use that colloquialism. Artemis had also noticed that their personality was turning similar to Juliet Butler's, who was now acting as their nanny and half-bodyguard. So the boy had cut the reunion short—for the twins had kept on crying and wailing so immaturely—and set off to meet up with Minerva.

Artemis had, after careful consideration, decided to tell Minerva the truth. But before he could even say hello, she had flung herself into his arms and told him how sorry she was. After the two had gotten over their embarrassing gestures, Artemis had explained about the past events. The girl's eyes—which now resided contact lenses, instead of the glasses she used to wear—had widened in shock as she had recalled the incidents, and had found out how she had nearly caused a cross-species war. When the initial disturbance had subsided, the Irish youth had informed Minerva all about the People. And basically everything he knew. Somehow, Artemis could find sometimes that when he stared into her emerald eyes, or conversed to her about quantum physics, he saw a slight shadow of himself inside her. The air of smugness and self-pride. It attracted him with a mystique he could not explain. Now, there were two genii, both knowing about the underground fairies, and—at the risk of sounding clichéd—both willing to _save the world_.

The teenagers reached the study, where Artemis had instructed Butler to wait with Holly, and question the elf about the problem she had mentioned. A week ago, Holly had contacted Artemis (via the fairy communicator), and had told him that 'something was about'. She had only briefed him lightly on what the situation was, and he hoped that this visit would clarify his many suspicions. Artemis guessed it was something to do with Section Eight's current mission.

"Butler, we're back," Artemis spoke in his clipped tone of voice. He opened the door to find the giant manservant and Holly Short, sat opposite each other on the sofa. The elf stood up, still shorter than Butler. Of course, this was a great difference, Butler being particularly _huge_, and Holly being…very small. "Holly, nice to see you again." He stepped in to receive her hug.

At exactly one meter, Holly Short really was _short, _one centimeter under the average fairy height, in fact. Artemis had to bend down lower to embrace her properly.

"Mud Boy. You haven't kept in contact since last time we talked," she tried to pout. "Busy with your…_friend?"_

Much to Artemis' displeasure, Foaly the centaur's contagious humor on Artemis and Minerva seemed to have been passed onto Holly herself. The prodigy ignored the last part of her statement, but looked down, grimacing. "I had to lie to my parents. And I had to clean up whatever records Butler had left. You know, how he told them about the People," Artemis glanced at Butler, who looked sheepish. "But all's well," he waved the matter away royally with one hand. "Though apparently, not for you?"

Holly smiled. "Hey, introduce me to your _girlfriend_ first. Where have all your manners gone? Or has her beauty entranced you so?" the elf snickered, whilst Artemis scowled.

"No need, Holly, you know who this is," he murmured. Minerva came to the rescue, sensing Artemis' inability with vocabulary and lack of speech.

"Minerva Paradizo," she spoke politely, holding her hand out to shake Holly's. "I'm sorry for what I did…I was immature, and I hope you and the People will forgive me. I sincerely do." She smiled genuinely.

Holly returned the friendliness. "No problem, Mud Girl, just a little misunderstanding. And plus, everything's turned out well." The fairy nodded softly.

Minerva's relaxed visibly. She looked down right relieved. "I appreciate it," she replied.

"Okay, let's cut the stuff short, Short," snapped a familiar voice. The paranoid tone was audible beneath the annoyed attitude. The LEP technology really _was_ advance, so that the sound was crystal clear, thanks to the one whose voice was currently projecting out.

The Irish boy grinned. "Foaly."

Holly rolled her eyes and pulled out the fairy communicator, where Foaly's smug face appeared.

"That's right, Fowl. You didn't think I'd be missing out on this little reunion, did you? All this sentimental drama…better than human soap operas I must say." The centaur grinned mischievously.

"All this drama, eh? How about you and this little Miss Caballine, I hear from Butler? Engaged?"

A tint of pink appeared on the techie's face. He opened his mouth to snap a retort back at the boy, but Artemis cut in a falsely innocent voice.

"I'm surprised Foaly, I thought you would've had trouble finding another centauress who loved you as much as you loved yourself. I'm gone for less than three years, and you've nearly tied the knot? Though I must say, the intensity of it all is very touching."

Foaly pursed his lips, the pink glowing slightly redder. He had inherited Julius Root's red face. "All right, Mud boy, you win. Although I'm not even going to mention that your _girlfriend_—"

"Foaly, _shut up,_" Holly sighed. "You're bickering like an old grandmother."

"What?" the centaur pouted. "I mean even Mulch, out of all people, helps me more…"

Artemis smirked. "Mulch? Helping a donkey? It's a case of brotherly love."

Foaly just gaped, with no witty comebacks…even if Mulch was a dwarf, not a donkey nor a centaur.

Holly sighed again. There was bound to be a row, and she didn't need it at this moment, not when they were all possibly in mortal danger, as Artemis was about to find out. She turned to him. "Let's talk about why the People need yours and Minerva's help," she said at last.

The prodigies didn't reply. The silence was deafening. Artemis couldn't think of anything else that could be worse than the demons or the Mafia.

"Tell them, Holly," came Butler's growling voice. Though it wasn't menacing or unfriendly in any way, it sent shivers down the elf's spine, even if she had gotten used to it and knew that Butler was a friend. If thunder had a voice, this would be it. The bodyguard had been quietly examining the situation, and now, Holly could see a muscle throbbing in his jaw, as though impatient to get started at saving the world.

"Alright. But I think it'll be easier if I told them where, in Scandinavia, we're going." Holly allowed herself a crooked smile. "And I thought Murmansk in Russia was bad."

Minerva grinned. Artemis smirked. "I think I know where. Helsinki, correct?" he said.

Foaly shook his head wearily, the sign of defeat. "It's so hard to beat two geniuses," he breathed.

"Genii," chorused Artemis and Minerva automatically.

Foaly looked exasperatedly at Butler. "See what I mean?"

The giant man grunted. "Tell me about it," he said.

———————————————————————————————————————

**Helsinki Harbour**

"Here?" Minerva asked skeptically. _"This_ is where the trolls are supposed to have been buried?"

Holly nodded. "Yep. According to the research that Section Eight have been doing, the trolls—which are famous in Scandinavian legend—were supposed to have been petrified or frozen here."

"And they want to wreck havoc…on the world?" the French girl said incredulously. "Why does it seem like we're discovering demons all over again?" She shuddered at the thought of it. Minerva had already been told of the events she could've caused…had Artemis and Co. not come to the rescue.

Over the years Artemis had gone missing, Minerva's own vain self had turned somewhat different. She had regretted miserably on what she had done, and was grateful that Artemis had actually forgiven her. Other than that, she had also kept in contact with Butler, and had turned out good friends with him. The thought of demons once more made her stomach churn. She didn't want those events to reoccur—once was enough to last a lifetime. Deep in her thoughts, Minerva didn't notice Holly, who was studying her carefully.

The ex-LEP Captain was mildly surprised. Minerva really had changed. It was the first time she had seen the girl again after the incident at the Taipei 101, and after she and Butler had finished discussing the troll situation, the manservant had told her about Minerva. Now Holly truly understood what Butler had meant.

With her corkscrew curls slightly loosened up, her conceited behavior gone, and her growth over the past three years, Minerva Paradizo had grown into a real beauty. No wonder the fairy had caught Artemis staring googly-eyed at her every now and then—such as on the flight en route from Dublin to Helsinki. And he said he had puberty under control… _D'Arvit. As if, Mud Boy,_ Holly inwardly smirked.

"Minerva," Artemis spoke up. He had been inspecting the ground near the pier they were stood on. "The demons were one of the eight families of the fairies. These trolls are…different. They're their own tribe, if I may say so. I'm guessing that they're more menacing than ever, and have greater intelligence as well than the ones we know of. The demons may have wanted to kill us, but compared to the trolls, they're as much a threat as little rabbits."

Everyone was silent. When Artemis said 'I'm guessing', he was usually correct, so no need to doubt anything on his theory.

The chilly wind blew across the harbour. Particularly in the middle of winter, the weather _was_ worse than in Murmansk (where Artemis had had to rescue his Father from the Russian Mafia). At approximately minus five degrees Celsius, the icy air around him condensed as he breathed out.

Helsinki, Finland, was a place of different cultures. Well, different nationalities mainly, what with Russians, Estonians, Swedish, Somalians, Serbians, Chinese, Germans, and many other different races in one small city, it was pretty much a multinational place. Artemis had known that Holly had meant Helsinki when she had mentioned Scandinavia. It was out of intuition, for he had spent many agonizing weeks here, a couple of years earlier, whilst waiting for his Father to recover. During that time, he had learnt Finnish, which added another tongue to his long languages list. But the climate then had been better, for spring was on the brink. Now however…things were to get frosty, and he didn't mean only the weather.

"Artemis is right," Holly said. "These trolls…they've been resting for over thousands of years. Not even the Vikings have seen these kinds of beasts before. They're more brutal than the average ones known to mankind…or fairykind. The only evidence left of them is the caveman paintings, but those are only faded ones. We don't even know how they really look like…although the estimated size of them is around thrice the size of the trolls we've met. And that information was found with the helpof Section Eight. They really haven't left a trace, have they, these trolls?"

Minerva's eyes widened. "_Thrice_?" she squeaked, her voice ricocheting an octave higher. "But…according to Butler, the troll _he_ wrestled was—"

"Damn big," the manservant cut in. "This is no minor matter, Holly. We need to stop them from waking up from their sleep, and stop them from destroying what we've tried to preserve. If they do make an appearance, people could think that there're more creatures buried underground, and where would that lead them?" He didn't need to answer his rhetorical question. Butler didn't care if the trolls woke up and went scuba diving; all he minded was whether they would expose Haven, and kill the people on Earth—namely his charge…though years spent with the People had turned him soft, and now he felt that he his duty concerned everyone on planet Earth as well.

Holly let out her breath, and the water vapour created hung around for what seemed like forever, before the wind broke it and swept it away.

"That's the problem Butler. Foaly says that basically, these…brutes…were drawn somehow to the country of Morocco, like you know how the demons were drawn to the moon? We don't know why. It might be of the landscape, but surely, after millennia, Morocco's hills are bound to change. Perhaps it's the structure of the mountains, and maybe the trolls need a special or specific type. If that _is_ the case, what if another country holds a similar resemblance? Will the trolls be drawn to that country?" Holly stopped to catch her breath. "Whatever it is, we need to find out." She looked at Artemis, then Minerva. "And that's where you two come in."

Minerva plucked at a curl of her hair, her eyes unfocused, staring out into the Gulf of Finland. "Trolls…" she murmured. "They were believed to have been petrified when met with sunlight or curses. That was what the Norwegians believed anyways. Do the Finnish think the same? Because if they do, it could mean that these creatures supposedly buried beneath Finland are the same ones the Norwegians meant, clarifying to us that we have possibly found their only weak spot."

Artemis had heard these tales before. Of course, it was no surprise, him having a two hundred plus IQ. But the teenager had read even deeper into this topic, and had delved down to the core of it several years ago when he was first catching trace of the People.

He nodded. "True. I guess you've seen the cavemen paintings in Toulouse before?"

Minerva's eyes focused on him and she smiled slyly. "Naturally…it's not that far from home of course. There were a few paintings of giant monsters as well…although I've never thought them _trolls._ Of course, each civilization will have different views on these creatures. It's only normal. The historians thought that those ancient people mistook each other, such as the Cro-Magnon mistaking the Neanderthals. What stupid people, those doctorate earners."

Butler was reminded of Dr. Po, the psychologist Angeline Fowl had sent her son to at St. Bartleby's. Artemis' complaints about him were never-ending, and despite the current situation, the bodyguard allowed himself a small smile.

Meanwhile, Artemis looked tantalized as Minerva shook her head dejectedly and her corkscrew curls danced around.

Holly was tired of their subtle flirting—or from her point of view anyways. She put her hands on her hips and snapped, "Look, you two, I don't care if you want to go lounge around, talk all mushy lovey-dovey stuff or anything, just do it after we've saved the world this time, okay?" The glare that she gave them shut the two prodigies up. "You're supposed to be smart, think of something!"

"Well…we were cut out to be genii," Minerva said grudgingly, a sheepish look on her face.

The elf scoffed. "Pity no one put the pieces together properly."

Artemis and Minerva stared at each other, bewildered at Holly's unusual personality.

_Serves them right,_ she thought. _Always acting sweet and kind, think I won't notice it?_ Holly didn't know why she was behaving like this…what did she have against their hormones and their obvious googly eyes? Perhaps it was because of the fact that the elf _she_ used to love hadn't taken hint­—?

_Holly, stop thinking of him! It was long, _long_, time ago. Plus he's a friend now, don't you forget. It was never meant to be anyways, so don't you go and destroy the trust you have between each other. You do want to remain his friend. Better friend, than foe…_

_But how about if I want to be more than just his friend and colleague? What if I—_

But her thoughts were disrupted as Minerva recovered first from Holly's previous retort.

The girl prodigy crossed her arms. "So, what do you propose we do, Holly?"

Holly opened her mouth, but to her great annoyance, Artemis beat her to replying.

"Obvious," he said, smirking as if to say 'duh'. "We go to Morocco."

Minerva grinned back. "Just what I thought."

Holly groaned inwardly. _Great, they're back to flirting, _she thought. 

———————————————————————————————————————

**The Fowl Jet, en route from Helsinki to Rabat, Morocco**

**(Above the Mediterranean Sea)**

"A-Artemis, take a look at this," Minerva called out to him. Her voice seemed slightly panicked.

Artemis, who was in the pilot seat, and who was flying the Fowl Jet, pressed the autopilot button, and flicking a few switches, stepped out of the cabin to where Minerva was curled up like a cat, his laptop on her knee.

Artemis Fowl Junior had actually designed his own operating system: FOX v2.0 or Fowl Operations Xplorer, version 2.0. Other than the vampire appearance one usually described him with; Artemis found his personality similar to that of a fox's. Cunning, sly, ambitious…he fitted the persona well. FOX was connected to his home computers and mainframe back in Fowl Manor, and had surveillance equipment as well. He could access straight away what was going on at home and at the Ring of Tara with a click and rapid voice-activated command. Of course, he had compiled data of fairy technology to help with the upgrades. It had signals from the satellite, and did everything the C Cube did. Too bad the Cube had been destroyed by the LEP. It had been classified as 'harmful and dangerous' and during the reign of Ark Sool—despite Foaly's objections that it could be used to their advantage in understanding Artemis Fowl—had been terminated: a hard thing to do if you had human technology, for the C Cube had been made out of tough polymer, almost unbreakable. But it was a piece of cake for the fairies. Thus ended the days of the C Cube.

Other than the use of fairy technology, Artemis had basically designed this laptop, the FowlBook, and it's operating system himself. The computer itself was originally a Macintosh, but Artemis had added some extra gadgets to help it run FOX and work to his purpose, thus renaming it too.

The FowlBook was black, and FOX 2.0's theme was blue-black as well. Just like his original eyes. It suited the Fowl Jet's design well too, for the most stylish technology obviously fitted well with an airplane equipped with a bar, computers, sofas, gray plush cushions, and two private bedrooms.

"I presume you've found some more information?" the boy quipped up, leaning in to see what Minerva was showing him.

She nodded softly, as if afraid that something would break if she nodded too hard. Artemis scanned the article and the various sites on the screen. As he read on, his eyes grew slightly wider at each word. Finally, he finished, and stumbled into the seat next to Minerva.

"D'arvit," he gasped. "We are in trouble."

Even him, criminal mastermind, was thrown by the information Minerva had discovered. It was so unexpected.

_It couldn't be!_ The boy thought.His masters at seven were Mozart, Einstein, Vivaldi, and Archimedes. By eleven, _he_ had mastered _them._ How could he not have known this?

Minerva put the laptop on a mini desk in front of her and turned to the boy, who was even paler than usual.

"You know what this means, don't you?" she asked quietly.

Artemis looked at her. Her face was calm, but he could detect a hint of fear in those eyes. "It means…that Holly's not going to like this," he whispered.

Minerva nodded in agreement. "She's not going to like this at all."

"Those trolls…" Artemis took a deep breath, steadying himself. "They can time travel. At will."

His gaze focused on the FowlBook's screen behind Minerva, where a faded caveman painting was displayed. A circular hole was visible, and something, of massive size, seemed to be stepping out of it.

**A/N: There ya go. See? I told you it sucks. Just a competition anyways.**

**Don't kill me Minerva-haters, please! I know she might seem a bit Mary Sue-ish here, but hey, Colfer didn't explore her character enough, okay? I'm still sorta confused about her personality… (Scratches head)**

**Anyways, if I do carry on with this fic, I might make her more…believable. I just can't be bothered to think of another plot…here, I made up the trolls thing just by pure imagination, without thinking of another plot.**

**I mean, Colfer's gonna write another book, no? And then my fic will be useless, for all my theories etc. might be incorrect in the real version of Book 6. No, I prefer waiting for the last Artemis Fowl book, then writing Book 7 for it! Or I'll just write oneshots in between like I already have ;)**

**I'm a full A/M shipper, so don't come and insult the ship…grrr…otherwise your review will be deleted!!! Mwahaha…sorry.**

**Speaking of reviews, please review if you can. No flames, but constructive criticism is accepted.**


	2. Prologue Optional

**A/N: Let's just say that this is a twoshot! I thought that ****Culpabilité du survivant****—a oneshot of mine—would actually work well as a Prologue for Artemis Fowl: Book 6. So I put it in…after Chapter 1 though, coz you can, in your mind, include it in this fic, or just ignore it. You can decide. Just a lil' something extra!**

**Sorry it sorta sucks, but hey, the Prologue is a bit more on the angsty emotional side, whereas Chapter 1 is more adventurous. As I said, you can just ignore this if you want, or read it if you please XD**

**Prologue**

**Minerva Paradizo's Diary, Issue 1, Book 1**

I keep telling myself that it wasn't my fault. That it would have happened anyway. But no matter how hard I try, I cannot deny the fact that I have had something to do with Artemis Fowl's disappearance. Had I not screamed, had Butler not had been torn to help me; all would have probably been different. But no, silly me, I had to cry out in surprise, therefore changing all events.

I shouldn't have even planned the Demon Project. I shouldn't have tried to capture one of them for my studies, and with greed's help, tried to use him to win the Nobel Prize. I have wasted half a million euros of Papa's money, destroyed our chatéau, and worse of all, caused the disappearance of Artemis and his few colleagues.

To make up for this, I have tried on countless occasions to help Butler, Artemis's now retired bodyguard, to cope with the trauma of the preceding three years. I have strived to help him, attempting to get him to read classical fictions, to try and show him that happy endings _do _come true. But to no avail, we both know that the teenager with the piercing blue eyes will still haunt our thoughts with that vampire grin of his. We both know that he may never return. We both know the truth.

Little happiness has been brought to the Fowls and the Butlers. The only great occasion was when Angeline Fowl, Artemis's mother, conceived two male twins, by the names of Beckett and Myles. They, however, have Mrs. Fowl's teal coloured eyes. Thank goodness, or they would probably have reminded us too much of the eldest Fowl child.

I have somewhat become a family friend of the Fowls and Butlers (in which I am entirely grateful for), visiting Fowl Manor often enough. And of course, Butler's little hut too. I am good friends with Juliet, Butler's sister, even if she is seven years older than me, but the only reason I can get along well with her is mainly due to the fact that I have a higher than average IQ. And Juliet isn't what you'd call the brightest. The strongest, yes, but she is a little bit…lightheaded, shall I say? Juliet, would, no doubt, call herself 'ditzy', but I do not lower myself to vocabulary of that level.

Mr. and Mrs. Fowl welcome me with open arms, but I can see the hurt and despair in their eyes over the loss of their eldest son. I can tell that the birth of the twins could never replace that teenage prodigy child. They do not even bear a grudge against me, even though I often blame myself for his disappearance.

Butler says it's just 'survivor's guilt'. He tells me that Artemis was a psychology expert, and would have said the same thing; this simple phrase brings tears to my eyes. I can't truly accept the truth of how conceited I was before. So much has been shown to me, and I have learned a great deal from the events of the past. I cannot help but hope that one day, my mistakes will be cured by the return of the group that fell out of the Taipei 101 nearly three years ago. But even then, will they forgive me, like the Fowl parents and the Butlers have? Will Artemis forgive me? Even though I hope he will, I know that it would not be his fault if he blamed me for his missing three years or more of the present life. Heavens, three years is enough. If he were to return a decade later, what would happen? Or what if he returned a century later, when we are all gone from the surface of the Earth, with only our descendants left to tell the tale: the story of Minerva Paradizo, who waited without success for the return of Artemis Fowl?

I cannot even think of that fact. It is too much to bear. Even for a genius like me—although how a genius could've failed as miserably as I have is unthinkable.

I do not know how I feel towards him—that juvenile criminal mastermind…although now I have doubt that he was a criminal. The Fowls were well known in the underground markets of deception and illicit activities in the past…but now, they are going legitimate, and are thinking of even changing their motto, from _Aurum Potestas Est, _to something else. _Gold is Power_ means nothing to them anymore.

Before, I had hated Artemis for his strutting in and taking away my demon. I was infuriated by that act. But now, I understand why. I am wrongly named; Minerva was the Roman goddess of wisdom. I should have been named Pandora, the first mortal woman who was so blind of the problems her deeds may have caused and released all the evils on the world. Like how I was going to obliviously release the demons on the world. But then…Pandora brought hope out too. Did I bring hope for the Fowls? Did I remind them somehow of their own son? Butler says I am a lot like Artemis, and I cannot deny the fact that we have many similarities, even though I doubt he was as ignorant as myself.

I may have detested him before, but now…there's another feeling beneath all that grief. I cannot help but hope that he will feel the same way about me as I do of him, though I know it is highly unlikely. But if he does, there are so many possibilities out there for us, the two genii, to achieve. Even if we could still commit illegal activities, we could operate these schemes to people who little tears will be shed: people who are destroying the environment, criminals themselves. Of course, we will not be like modern day Robin Hoods, heavens no. We will divert some…_funds_ to our own bank accounts. But the majority will go to organizations like Amnesty International et cetera. After all, we _are_ ridding the world of criminals and wrongdoers.

I have never felt the need to have to do something like this. Artemis's good behavior is perhaps…contagious? But I do not mind. I may not tell others, but I have personally accepted that I may have…and still, idolize him—by the most _petite_ amount. I have changed so much over the past few years; one would not recognize me as the spoilt brat before that heartbreaking…_incident_.

Together, Artemis and I will make sure our names are known worldwide, but of course, leaving no evidence for the criminals or authorities to follow us. We will put our lives in danger—but I do not mind, since I cannot tolerate another day at school learning things I have mastered at the tender age of seven or less. Why help the world when no one knows you do? But yes, sometimes things like that are done, for example, like how Artemis donated the painting _The Fairy Thief_ by Pascal Hervé anonymously, without gaining anything. A deed of honor, perhaps we will continue to do that, Artemis and I…that is, if he forgives me—or perhaps, if he even returns.

It does not do one good to grieve for a lost person…but Artemis is not lost forever, or so I hope. Even if I regret my actions dearly, and wish that I could undo the events of the past, what is done, has already been done. I have to carry on. I cannot stop and just await destiny to take place. No, I refuse to believe that our paths have been laid out for us from the birth of time. I believe that we chart our own courses, and find our places in this world. And I, Minerva Paradizo, must move on.

**A/N: Even though it's a bad fic, I'd appreciate a review. No flames please, but constructive criticism is appreciated.**


End file.
